Sean O’Malley is not a fan of MMA managers. Particularly, the especially greedy ones who try to take a bite out of every piece of pie that their fighters earn.
On August 19, O’Malley will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon for a main-event clash with reigning bantamweight world champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. The bout will represent O’Malley’s first UFC title opportunity, and as a result, his first five-round scrap. With less than two weeks till Fight Night, O’Malley is taking aim at one of MMA’s biggest blights; combat sports managers.
During an interview with TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, O’Malley shared his utter disdain for greedy MMA managers who actively seek a percentage of every dime their clients make. That includes attempting to take a piece of the often sought-after $50,000 performance bonuses that are handed out following each UFC event.
“They’re stealing money from fighters. They’re taking percentages of these guys’ bonuses. That really p*sses me off, to be honest,” O’Malley said. “You go out there and win a bonus, you have a war, you get $50,000 and these managers are trying to take a percentage of that? Not a lot of things drive me crazy, not a lot of things get under my skin and make me mad, but that does.”
Sean O’Malley is Ready to Take a Bit Out of MMA Managers
To combat that, ‘Sugar’ has something up his sleeve, though the bantamweight title challenger was unable to provide any specific details just yet.
“I’m gonna be fighting for fighter’s rights in this management stuff. These MMA managers are horrible, they do not deserve 15%, 10%, of their ‘negotiation’ with the UFC,” O’Malley added. “That’ll be a whole series of things to come, and I’m excited to be on the – it’s for fighters, 100%, and that still a ‘stay tuned’ moment”
Sean O'Malley on managers in MMA: "they're stealing money from fighters"
Full interview with @SugaSeanMMA: https://t.co/LBrDYMhjMy pic.twitter.com/gNbKVHfF1E
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) August 10, 2023
“I’m waiting to release it the right way,” O’Malley continued. “It will be – I think it’ll be a big deal, it’ll be massive and it will hurt someone’s business and rightfully so. So I’m gonna put it out there the right way – I gotta talk to my legal team and make sure we’re doing everything right. But yeah, MMA managers are so bad. It’s horrible, it’s embarrassing.”
O’Malley has made his dislike for managers well-known, even opting to represent himself in negotiations with the UFC.
If he leaves TD Garden with the 135-pound crown strapped around his waist later this month, O’Malley will likely be due for another round of negotiations. But first, the colorful fan favorite will need to get past one of the greatest bantamweight fighters in the history of the sport in Aljamain Sterling.
Transcription by MMA News.
